Why Jon Gruden should be the next Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach

It feels good to be back!

While I have been away, I've watched the Tampa Bay Buccaneers get coached into the ground. We had an astronomical amount of talent at the beginning of the year. Jameis Winston, Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, O.J. Howard, Doug Martin, Cameron Brate, Gerald McCoy, Chris Baker, Noah Spence, Lavonte David, Kwon Alexander, Brent Grimes, T.J. Ward and the list goes on... But for some reason, all that talent failed. I put this on the back of Dirk Koetter and Mike Smith. There are too many "big plays" being missed on defense and too many "big plays" called on offense. If you go for a Hail Mary on every play, it's easy to defend. That's why I think the Tampa Bay Buccaneers need a coaching refresh.

Believe it or not, I think Jon Gruden would be a good coach for this team. When he was traded to the Buccaneers, the defense had talent and Monte Kiffin. The offense had Keyshawn Johnson, Keenan McCardell, and Mike Alstott. But with Gruden, they won the Super Bowl. While it was on the defense’s back, Gruden brought the passion the team needed to crush opponents.

Believe it or not, the Bucs have the play-makers to make the West Coast offense work. It will force Jameis Winston to make multiple reads and allows him to use his anticipation, which is one of his better assets. The running game would be based on the Power-O which is in Peyton Barber's wheelhouse, and would allow Martin to be released. Mike Evans can high-point the ball and DeSean Jackson would be the offense’s Joey Galloway. Brate and Howard can roam the middle of the field. And I haven’t even talked about Chris Godwin or Adam Humphries. It's not far-fetched at all.

Jon Gruden’s tenure with the Buccaneers had Monte Kiffin at helm of the defense. The only time the defense wasn’t ranked in the Top 10 was 2006. This time around, Licht and Gruden would need to find someone who can work with the current players and build upon them. There’s no need for a 3-4 scheme, or the corners always playing 10 yards off coverage, or an invisible pass rush. This defensive coordinator will need to provide pressure in multiple ways and create turnovers.

The reason behind the collapse of the Buccaneers wasn’t Jon Gruden but Bruce Allen. Constantly, Allen signed older players and drafted terribly, with the picks he still had. Since Jason Licht’s contract has been approved for 2018, he has the ability to continue to build the team correctly. Every General Manager makes mistakes but he recognizes them and moves on. With Licht and a worthy defensive coordinator, Jon Gruden can be the coach that can take the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back to the Super Bowl.